The outside looks the same, but the guts of the 2010 version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro have been revamped. This thin-and-light laptop now features a faster processor and double the graphics performance. Better yet, it lasts nearly 8 hours on a charge, about an hour and a half longer than its predecessor. While $1,199 is on the pricey side these days for a notebook, the MacBook Pro delivers great performance and endurance in a attractive and comfortable design that’s easy to take with you.

Design
The 13-inch MacBook Pro looks identical to last season’s MacBook Pro: the aluminum chassis, black island-style keyboard, large multitouch touchpad, and thin, rounded lid all look familiar. Even its weight (4.4 pounds) and dimensions (12.8 x 8.9 x 1 inches) remain the same, making this notebook a cinch to carry. The ASUS U30Jc-1A, another 13-inch thin-and-light with powerful graphics, weighs almost half a pound more.



Like its predecessor, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is made from a single, seamless piece of aluminum, which means it’s more durable than most other notebooks in this price range. The only difference is that the battery is now non-removable (more on that later). Our only gripe is that the system’s body scuffs fairly easily, so you may want to invest in a custom-fit cover.

Keyboard and Touchpad
As always, the keyboard on the 13-inch MacBook Pro has a soft finish, and makes little sound when you type. While the keyboard on, say, the 17-inch MacBook Pro might be too large (and too recessed) for some hands, the 13-inch version’s keyboard is comfortably placed. It’s also backlit with an ambient light sensor, which comes in handy for low-light environments.



The touchpad remains one giant button that doubles as the touchpad and the mouse button, and is the best in the business. The friction is slight, and we were able to effortlessly press down on the button without thinking about the fact that there’s no dedicated touch button (nevermind two).


Also, multitouch gestures work smoothly. By pushing four fingers toward the top of the touchpad, we were able to fling windows up toward the top of the screen, exposing a clean desktop. When we used two fingers to zoom in and out of pages in Safari 4, the on-screen response was very quick and smooth. A new feature keeps scrolling pages for a bit even after you’ve completed the finger swipe; this makes it easier to move though large documents.

Quick Specs :
CPU: 2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
RAM/Upgradable to: 4GB/8GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 250GB/5,400 rpm
Display Size/Resolution: 13.3 inches/1280 x 800
Optical Drive: 8X DVD-RW